Shortcut for Tags

[msrodrigues 0]

Hi, for an app that prizes the use of tags it is surprising cumbersome to add a new tag to a note, especially if you, like me, prefer the use of a keyboard instead of using the mouse.

Also, tags in evernote live in a line, while I would like to use them as anchors in the text (one could keep them in the list and also in the tags list). Other apps that use markdown have solved this issue using #s, if It is a simple hashtag followed by a space is a title, hashtag without space is a tag.

Anyone know a way around this?

[gazumped 11,652]

9 hours ago, msrodrigues said:

Anyone know a way around this?

Hi.  There's no way to change the layout or use of the tag system,  but you can work around it...

Evernote has a pretty good search engine,  but it limited to alphabet characters and underlines "_".  If you set up your own set of unique keywords like xTag or _Tag you could use those in the body of a note and set up saved searches for those words to manage your notes.  I know one of us uses a password manager to generate unique random short strings like 9LAngQ7 for more or less the same purpose.  It's possible to limit searches to the title of a note,  so keyword tags could also go there.

[Mike P 2,626]

15 hours ago, msrodrigues said:

Hi, for an app that prizes the use of tags it is surprising cumbersome to add a new tag to a note, especially if you, like me, prefer the use of a keyboard instead of using the mouse.

There are so many ways of adding a tag to a note it is difficult to know what you have tried and find cumbersome especially as I don't even know what version you are using. Limiting my response to keyboard only methods for the desktop version (Windows but easily translatable o mac):

Bottom tag area. F3 and then type the tag. Typing letters bring up the tags beginning with those letter. Arrow keys to move between them. Enter to select

Edit tags menu: alt-ctrl-T. You can either search for tags (now you get all the tags containing the characters not just those beginning with the characters). Cycle through them using the arrow keys, press space bar to select. Home and then up arrow to go back to the search input field (a single key for this would be helpful). Enter to close the window. I would personally like some more cutomisation of this menu - particularly the ability to have an alphabetical list as well as the hierarchty list although I suppose you could argue you already have that in F3.

[Boot17 1,441]

On 8/27/2021 at 12:12 AM, Mike P said:

(Windows but easily translatable to mac)

You're right -- it was easy. 😃

Thanks for this. I was always doing it with the mouse and it didn't occur to me to use the keyboard. Using the mouse doesn't seem too bad to me though.

Bottom tag area for Mac: Command + apostrophe

Edit tags menu for Mac: Control + Option + Command + T 

[msrodrigues 0]

On 8/27/2021 at 3:12 AM, Mike P said:

There are so many ways of adding a tag to a note it is difficult to know what you have tried and find cumbersome especially as I don't even know what version you are using. Limiting my response to keyboard only methods for the desktop version (Windows but easily translatable o mac):

Bottom tag area. F3 and then type the tag. Typing letters bring up the tags beginning with those letter. Arrow keys to move between them. Enter to select

Edit tags menu: alt-ctrl-T. You can either search for tags (now you get all the tags containing the characters not just those beginning with the characters). Cycle through them using the arrow keys, press space bar to select. Home and then up arrow to go back to the search input field (a single key for this would be helpful). Enter to close the window. I would personally like some more cutomisation of this menu - particularly the ability to have an alphabetical list as well as the hierarchty list although I suppose you could argue you already have that in F3.

I really appreciate your help and support, I think your solution is valid and probably will help most people interested in this topic.

I my humble opinion I still think it is too many actions just to add a tag. In Mac it is shift-ctrl-alt + T, then it opens a pop up(!) then you search/add a tag in this pop up. I am an r programmer. It is not possible to create, in this way, an "r" tag, it is simple not allowed.

Markdown would be a perfect solution for this, #r ou #anyOtherTag. So many softwares support this... I find it frustrating that Evernote doesn't. I am a costumer for many years and I feel a little bit left out. I think Evernote has the best search, and in terms of storage is also the best option, but the way it handles text seems to me outdated.

 

[PinkElephant 8,077]

Most companies who go through markdown don’t offer a comprehensive tag management. You can add tags this #way and keep tagging. But it is not about tagging, in the end it is about finding.

I found I have to weed out my tags from time to time: Some were never used again, there are synonyms, there are typos, some need to be split to work, you name it.

This is only possible with a tag management option, like the one EN offers. And this in turn is based on having the tags in a section of the EN database, not only as free floating #markdown text.

[msrodrigues 0]

3 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

Most companies who go through markdown don’t offer a comprehensive tag management. You can add tags this #way and keep tagging. But it is not about tagging, in the end it is about finding.

I found I have to weed out my tags from time to time: Some were never used again, there are synonyms, there are typos, some need to be split to work, you name it.

This is only possible with a tag management option, like the one EN offers. And this in turn is based on having the tags in a section of the EN database, not only as free floating #markdown text.

You are totally right, I agree if you are not consistent with the choice of your tags you end up with a lot of gibberish that doesn't help at all. Also have to agree the tag management option is perfect good solution for a lot of people, one thing I disagree though is that the the only way to do this is through a tag management. Some people just like to make it simple, uses just a few tag names and would like just to have the best possible way to add then, mixed with their text, use then as anchors. I understand this is a matter of preferences, but still, as a user, what I feel is EN lets me down in this issue.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

Just made a little test. First I assigned a new keyboard shortcut to „Add tag“, because I did not like the EN default. But this is a one timer.

Then I pressed my shortcut, which directly placed my cursor into an ellipse at the bottom of the window. Now I typed „#r“ and Enter.

The new tag „#r“ was created right away, and assigned to the note.

Where is this workflow not efficient by any means ?

Sure, if you have plenty of shortcuts starting with „#r“ - or just with an „r“ - you get a list with all tags starting with it, and need to type 1-3 (rarely more) keys to select the right one. But this depends on how good your naming system is build, not on the tagging being inefficient.

[gazumped 11,652]

Not exactly relevant to the point here,  but just following up from my previous comment - I use Workflowy a lot for lookups,  and it has a lightning fast search.  Wearing one particular hat I need to post in social media using a series of hashtags,  and I have all the variations of my tags listed in WF. 

When I get to a point where I need to add tags,  I Shift/Tab my way to WF,  enter one of the tags in the search box,  and am instantly jumped to my list from where I can copy/ paste whichever variation I need,  or add a new one where necessary.  It avoids my typing a set of characters repeatedly,  duplications and typos,  and unnecessary variations in terms.

Exactly the same lookup list could apply to Evernote tags,  or my previous suggestion of using xCharacter xPrepends to generate non-standard findable terms.

[Mike P 2,626]

On 11/7/2021 at 2:33 PM, msrodrigues said:

I am an r programmer. It is not possible to create, in this way, an "r" tag, it is simple not allowed.

You can create new tags (or use existing ones) in the tag area at the bottom of the note.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

When I read your initial post, you wanted to create a tag by #r - which is possible.

And when I now tried to create the tag „r“, I had no problem to do so either. I just opened the tagging function, selected new tag, entered „r“ (without quotation marks), and the tag was created and assigned.

Whether it makes sense to create one character tags is another question. But it is not forbidden !

 

[Mike P 2,626]

7 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

Whether it makes sense to create one character tags is another question.

I am also an R scripter and the R tag is essential! You can not really search for "R"!

[PinkElephant 8,077]

Then be creative - call it progr, coder or what was already posted #r. The initial posts here were that it would be cumbersome to create tags, and that it would not be allowed to create a tag called „R“.

About the first one can argue (I think it is ok, keyboard shortcut plus enter tag plus ENTER, done), about the second not: r works, #r as well. Do whatever to have it quick and nice, and in a way search is working for you.